Lead bonding structure

ABSTRACT

A lead bonding structure includes: a plurality of leads extending outward from a package; and a plurality of electrode pads formed on a circuit board. The plurality of leads are soldered to the electrode pads, respectively. Each of the leads includes a lower wide portion having a width dimension greater than a width dimension of each of the electrode pads. The lower wide portion of each of the leads is soldered to the corresponding electrode pad.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority fromJapanese patent application No. 2015-089457, filed on Apr. 24, 2015, thedisclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.Additionally, this application is a divisional application of U.S. Ser.No. 15/133,590, filed on Apr. 20, 2016, the contents of which are herebyincorporate by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a lead bonding structure.

2. Description of Related Art

As a technique of this type, Japanese Unexamined Patent ApplicationPublication No. H02-213075 discloses a method for bonding leads 103.According to the method, as shown in

FIG. 19 of this application, a solder layer 102 is formed on eachelectrode 101 of a circuit board 100, and each of the leads 103 isbrought into contact with the surface of the solder layer 102 and eachof the leads 103 is heated by laser beams.

In the structure disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent ApplicationPublication No. H02-213075, if the laser irradiation position deviatesfrom the target irradiation position in the pitch direction, the solderlayer 102 is directly irradiated with the laser beams, which may causescattering of solder.

An object of the present invention is to provide a technique forsuppressing scattering of solder when leads are soldered to respectiveelectrode pads by laser beams.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An exemplary aspect of the present invention is a lead bonding structureincluding: a plurality of leads extending outward from a lead supporter;and a plurality of electrode pads formed on a board, the plurality ofleads being respectively soldered to the plurality of electrode pads.Each of the leads includes a wide portion having a width dimensiongreater than a width dimension of each of the electrode pads. The wideportion of each of the leads is soldered to the corresponding electrodepad.

According to the present invention, it is possible to suppressscattering of solder when leads are soldered to respective electrodepads by laser.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will become more fully understood from the detaileddescription given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which aregiven by way of illustration only, and thus are not to be considered aslimiting the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state before an electroniccomponent is mounted on a circuit board by using a mounting device(first exemplary embodiment);

FIG. 2 is a partially perspective view showing the state before theelectronic component is mounted on the circuit board (first exemplaryembodiment);

FIG. 3 is a partially perspective view showing a state after theelectronic component is mounted on the circuit board (first exemplaryembodiment);

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along a line IV-IV of FIG. 2 (firstexemplary embodiment);

FIG. 5 is an end view taken along a line V-V of FIG. 2 (first exemplaryembodiment);

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along a line VI-VI of FIG. 3 (firstexemplary embodiment);

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a lead bonding method (first exemplaryembodiment);

FIG. 8 is a partially perspective view showing a state before theelectronic component is mounted on the circuit board (second exemplaryembodiment);

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along a line IX-IX of FIG. 8 (secondexemplary embodiment);

FIG. 10 is a partially perspective view showing a state before theelectronic component is mounted on the circuit board (third exemplaryembodiment);

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along a line XI-XI of FIG. 10 (thirdexemplary embodiment);

FIG. 12 is a partially perspective view showing a state before theelectronic component is mounted on the circuit board (fourth exemplaryembodiment);

FIG. 13 is a partially perspective view showing a state before theelectronic component is mounted on the circuit board when viewed fromanother angle (fourth exemplary embodiment);

FIG. 14 is a partially perspective view showing a state after theelectronic component is mounted on the circuit board (fourth exemplaryembodiment);

FIG. 15 is a partially perspective view showing a state before theelectronic component is mounted on the circuit board (fifth exemplaryembodiment);

FIG. 16 is a partially perspective view showing a state before theelectronic component is mounted on the circuit board (sixth exemplaryembodiment);

FIG. 17 is a partially perspective view showing a state after theelectronic component is mounted on the circuit board (seventh exemplaryembodiment);

FIG. 18 is a partially perspective view showing a state after theelectronic component is mounted on the circuit board (eighth exemplaryembodiment); and

FIG. 19 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 1 of Japanese UnexaminedPatent Application Publication No. H02-213075.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS First Exemplary Embodiment

A first exemplary embodiment will be described below with reference toFIGS. 1 to 7. FIG. 1 shows a state where an electronic component 3 ismounted on a circuit board 2 by using a mounting device 1.

The electronic component 3 includes a package 4 (lead supporter) thatprotects a silicon chip, and a plurality of leads 6 extending outwardfrom a side surface 5 (one side surface) of the package 4. The pluralityof leads 6 extend substantially horizontally so that they are parallelto each other.

A plurality of electrode pads 8 are formed on a mounting surface 7 ofthe circuit board 2. The plurality of leads 6 of the electroniccomponent 3 are respectively soldered to the plurality of electrode pads8.

The mounting device 1 is a device that supplies solder 9 onto eachelectrode pad 8 and heats each lead 6 by irradiating each lead 6 with alaser beam L, thereby soldering the leads 6 to the respective electrodepads 8.

The terms “longitudinal direction”, “pitch direction”, and “boardorthogonal direction” will now be defined. The longitudinal directionrefers to the longitudinal direction of each lead 6. The pitch directionrefers to a direction in which the plurality of leads 6 extending inparallel to each other are arranged. The board orthogonal directionrefers to a direction orthogonal to the mounting surface 7 of thecircuit board 2. The board orthogonal direction includes a boardapproaching direction and a board separating direction. The boardapproaching direction refers to a direction approaching the mountingsurface 7 of the circuit board 2. The board separating direction refersto a direction away from the mounting surface 7 of the circuit board 2.The longitudinal direction, the pitch direction, and the boardorthogonal direction are directions orthogonal to each other.

FIG. 2 shows a state before the electronic component 3 is mounted on thecircuit board 2. FIG. 3 shows a state after the electronic component 3is mounted on the circuit board 2. FIG. 4 is a sectional view takenalong a line IV-IV of FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is an end view taken along a lineV-V of FIG. 2. FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along a line VI-VI ofFIG. 3.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 6, each lead 6 includes a lower wide portion 10(wide portion), a separating projecting portion 11, an upper wideportion 12, and a narrow portion 13. The lower wide portion 10, theseparating projecting portion 11, the upper wide portion 12, and thenarrow portion 13 are continuously formed in the stated order in thelongitudinal direction.

The lower wide portion 10 is a portion that is irradiated with the laserbeam L output from the mounting device 1, and is soldered to thecorresponding electrode pad 8. As shown in FIG. 2, the thicknessdirection of the lower wide portion 10 is the same as the boardorthogonal direction.

The separating projecting portion 11 is a portion that projects in theboard separating direction from a rear end 10A of the lower wide portion10. The rear end 10A is an end closer to the package 4. The separatingprojecting portion 11 is slightly inclined so as to approach the package4 in a direction away from the mounting surface 7 of the circuit board2.

The upper wide portion 12 is a portion that extends toward the package 4from an upper end 11A of the separating projecting portion 11. The upperend 11A is an end of the separating projecting portion 11 in the boardseparating direction. The upper end 11A is an end farther from themounting surface 7 of the circuit board 2. The thickness direction ofthe upper wide portion 12 is the same as the board orthogonal direction.

The narrow portion 13 is a portion that extends toward the package 4from a rear end 12A of the upper wide portion 12. The rear end 12A is anend closer to the package 4. The thickness direction of the narrowportion 13 is the same as the board orthogonal direction.

The lower wide portion 10 has a width dimension 10W which is a dimensionin the pitch direction. Similarly, the separating projecting portion 11has a width dimension 11W which is a dimension in the pitch direction.The upper wide portion 12 has a width dimension 12W which is a dimensionin the pitch direction. The narrow portion 13 has a width dimension 13Wwhich is a dimension in the pitch direction. In the first exemplaryembodiment, the width dimension 10W, the width dimension 11W, and thewidth dimension 12W are equal to each other and are greater than thewidth dimension 13W.

Each electrode pad 8 is formed on the mounting surface 7 of the circuitboard 2 in such a manner that the electrode pad 8 is elongated along thelongitudinal direction of the corresponding lead 6. Each electrode pad 8has a width dimension 8W which is a dimension in the pitch direction. Asshown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the width dimension 8W of each electrode pad 8is smaller than the width dimension 10W of the lower wide portion 10.Accordingly, each lower wide portion 10 can cover the entirepitch-direction area of the corresponding electrode pad 8. Specifically,when the electrode pads 8 and the lower wide portions 10 are centered inthe pitch direction, each lower wide portion 10 covers the entirepitch-direction area of the corresponding electrode pad 8. Morespecifically, when the electrode pads 8 and the lower wide portions 10are centered in the pitch direction, each lower wide portion 10 coversthe entire pitch-direction area of the corresponding electrode pad 8 ina part of the area thereof in the longitudinal direction.

Referring to FIG. 2 again, a leading end 10B of the lower wide portion10 of each lead 6 is closer to the package 4 than the leading end 8B ofeach electrode pad 8. The leading end 10B is an end farther from thepackage 4. The leading end 8B is an end farther from the package 4.Accordingly, the leading end 8B of each electrode pad 8 is not coveredwith the corresponding lead 6, but is upwardly exposed.

An appropriate amount of the solder 9 is supplied onto each electrodepad 8 by the mounting device 1. The solder 9 is generally supplied to anarea within an outline 8R of each electrode pad 8. Accordingly, as shownin FIG. 5, a width dimension 9W which is a dimension of the solder 9 inthe pitch direction is smaller than the width dimension 8W of eachelectrode pad 8, or is equal to the width dimension 8W of each electrodepad 8. Thus, the lower wide portion 10 of each lead 6 can cover theentire pitch-direction area of the solder 9. Specifically, when theelectrode pads 8 and the lower wide portions 10 of the leads 6 arecentered in the pitch direction, the lower wide portion 10 of each lead6 covers the entire pitch-direction area of the solder 9. As shown inFIG. 4, the mounting device 1 supplies the solder 9 to a location wherea leading end 9B of the solder 9 is farther from the package 4 than theleading end 10B of the lower wide portion 10 of each lead 6 and a rearend 9A of the solder 9 is closer to the package 4 than the rear end 10Aof the lower wide portion 10. The leading end 9B is an end farther fromthe package 4. The rear end 9A is an end closer to the package 4.

In the structure described above, when the lower wide portion 10 of eachlead 6 shown in FIG. 2 is irradiated with the laser beam L and the lowerwide portion 10 is heated, the solder 9 provided on each electrode pad 8is melted and solidified, so that the lower wide portion 10 of each lead6 is soldered to the corresponding electrode pad 8 as shown in FIGS. 3and 6. Specifically, a solder fillet F which is elongated in the pitchdirection is formed between each electrode pad 8 and a leading endsurface 10C of the leading end 10B of the lower wide portion 10 of eachlead 6. Similarly, another solder fillet F which is elongated in thepitch direction is formed between each electrode pad 8 and a rear endsurface 10D of the rear end 10A of the lower wide portion 10 of eachlead 6.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, a lead bonding structure E includes theplurality of leads 6 extending outward from the package 4, and theplurality of electrode pads 8 which are formed on the circuit board 2.The plurality of leads 6 are soldered to the plurality of electrode pads8, respectively.

The first exemplary embodiment of the present invention described abovehas the following features.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the lead bonding structure E includes: theplurality of leads 6 extending outward from the package 4 (leadsupporter); and the plurality of electrode pads 8 which are formed on acircuit board 2 (board). The plurality of leads 6 are soldered to theplurality of electrode pads 8, respectively. Each lead 6 includes thelower wide portion 10 (wide portion) having the width dimension 10Wgreater than the width dimension 8W of each electrode pad 8. The lowerwide portion 10 of each lead 6 is soldered to the correspondingelectrode pad 8. According to the above structure, when each lead 6 issoldered to the corresponding electrode pad 8, the entirepitch-direction area of the solder 9 provided on each electrode pad 8can be covered with the lower wide portion 10 of the corresponding lead6. Accordingly, when the lower wide portion 10 of each lead 6 isirradiated with the laser beam L so that each lead 6 is soldered to thecorresponding electrode pad 8, the laser beam L is prevented from beingdirectly irradiated onto the solder 9 even if the irradiation positionof the laser beam L slightly deviates from the target irradiationposition in the pitch direction. Thus, scattering of the solder 9 can besuppressed.

Further, the entire pitch-direction area of the solder 9 can be coveredwith the lower wide portion 10 of each lead 6. Accordingly, even if thesolder 9 or flux is scattered, the range of scattering of the solder 9or flux is extremely narrow.

Furthermore, the entire pitch-direction area of each electrode pad 8 canbe covered with the lower wide portion 10 of the corresponding lead 6.Accordingly, even if the irradiation position of the laser beam Lslightly deviates from the target irradiation position in the pitchdirection, the laser beam L is prevented from being directly irradiatedonto each electrode pad 8. This makes it possible to suppress peeling ofeach electrode pad 8 from the circuit board 2 due to heat deformation ofeach electrode pad 8.

According to a common-sense design concept, the width dimension 10W ofthe lower wide portion 10 of each lead 6 is set to be smaller than thewide dimension 8W of each electrode pad 8 so that the solder filletformed between each lead 6 and each electrode pad 8 can be observed fromabove to confirm whether each lead 6 is reliably soldered to thecorresponding electrode pad 8. On the other hand, in the first exemplaryembodiment described above, the width dimension 10W of the lower wideportion 10 of each lead 6 is set to be greater than the width dimension8W of each electrode pad 8. Although this contradicts theabove-mentioned common-sense design concept, it is intended to givepriority to the suppression of scattering of the solder 9.

According to another common-sense design concept, the width dimension10W of the lower wide portion 10 of each lead 6 is set to be smallerthan the width dimension 8W of each electrode pad 8. This design conceptis essential for arranging the plurality of leads 6 at a fine pitch. Onthe other hand, in the first exemplary embodiment described above, thewidth dimension 10W of the lower wide portion 10 of each lead 6 is setto be greater than the width dimension 8W of each electrode pad 8.Although this contradicts the above-mentioned common-sense designconcept, it is intended to give priority to the suppression ofscattering of the solder 9.

As shown in FIG. 7, a lead bonding method includes: the step (S100) ofsupplying the solder 9 to each electrode pad 8; the step (S110) ofpositioning each lead 6 with respect to the corresponding electrode pad8; and the step (S120) of irradiating the lower wide portion 10 of eachlead 6 with the laser beam L, to thereby solder the lower wide portion10 of each lead 6 to the corresponding electrode pad 8. In the step(S120) of irradiating the lower wide portion 10 of each lead 6 with thelaser beam L, the entire pitch-direction area of the solder 9 is coveredwith the lower wide portion 10 of each lead 6. According to the abovemethod, when the lower wide portion 10 of each lead 6 is irradiated withthe laser beam L to thereby solder each lead 6 to the correspondingelectrode pad 8, the laser beam L is prevented from being directlyirradiated onto the solder 9 even if the irradiation position of thelaser beam L slightly deviates from the target irradiation position inthe pitch direction. Thus, scattering of the solder 9 can be suppressed.

Prior to soldering of the lower wide portion 10 of each lead 6 to thecorresponding electrode pad 8, the solder 9 supplied onto each electrodepad 8 may be temporarily melted so that the solder 9 can be uniformlyapplied onto each electrode pad 8.

The electrode pads 8 generally have excellent wettability with solder.Accordingly, if a question arises in the determination of the widthdimension 8W of each electrode pad 8, the width dimension 8W of eachelectrode pad 8 should be determined by taking into considerationwhether the wettability with the solder is excellent or not.

Second Exemplary Embodiment

Next, a second exemplary embodiment will be described with reference toFIGS. 8 and 9. Differences between the second exemplary embodiment andthe first exemplary embodiment will be mainly described, while a repeatof previous descriptions is omitted.

In the first exemplary embodiment described above, as shown in FIG. 2,the leading end 10B of the lower wide portion 10 of each lead 6 iscloser to the package 4 than the leading end 8B of the correspondingelectrode pad 8. Accordingly, the leading end 8B of each electrode pad 8is not covered with the corresponding lead 6, but is upwardly exposed.On the other hand, in the second exemplary embodiment, as shown in FIGS.8 and 9, the leading end 10B of the lower wide portion 10 of each lead 6is farther from the package 4 than the leading end 8B of thecorresponding electrode pad 8. Thus, the entire pitch-direction area ofthe leading end 8B of each electrode pad 8 is covered with the lowerwide portion 10 of the corresponding lead 6.

As shown in FIG. 8, the solder 9 is generally supplied to an area withinthe outline 8R of each electrode pad 8. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 9,the solder 9 is supplied to a location where the leading end 9B of thesolder 9 is closer to the package 4 than the leading end 10B of thelower wide portion 10 of each lead 6. Thus, the entire pitch-directionarea of the leading end 9B of the solder 9 is covered with the lowerwide portion 10 of the corresponding lead 6.

The second exemplary embodiment described above has the followingfeatures.

The leading end 10B of the lower wide portion 10 of each lead 6 isfarther from the package 4 than the leading end 8B of the correspondingelectrode pad 8. According to the above structure, when each lead 6 issoldered to the corresponding electrode pad 8, the entirepitch-direction area of the leading end 9B of the solder 9 provided oneach electrode pad 8 can be covered with the lower wide portion 10 ofthe corresponding lead 6. Accordingly, when the lower wide portion 10 ofeach lead 6 is irradiated with the laser beam L to thereby solder eachlead 6 to the corresponding electrode pad 8, the laser beam L isprevented from being directly irradiated onto the solder 9 even if theirradiation position of the laser beam L slightly deviates from thetarget irradiation position in the longitudinal direction. Thus,scattering of the solder 9 can be suppressed.

Third Exemplary Embodiment

Next, a third exemplary embodiment will be described with reference toFIGS. 10 and 11. Differences between the third exemplary embodiment andthe second exemplary embodiment will be mainly described, while a repeatof previous descriptions is omitted.

In the second exemplary embodiment described above, as shown in FIG. 8,each lead 6 includes the lower wide portion 10, the separatingprojecting portion 11, the upper wide portion 12, and the narrow portion13. However, in the third exemplary embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 10 and11, each lead 6 includes the lower wide portion 10, the separatingprojecting portion 11, and the narrow portion 13, and does not includethe upper wide portion 12. The lower wide portion 10, the separatingprojecting portion 11, and the narrow portion 13 are continuously formedin the stated order in the longitudinal direction.

The lower wide portion 10 is a portion that is irradiated with the laserbeam L output from the mounting device 1 and is soldered to thecorresponding electrode pad 8. The thickness direction of the lower wideportion 10 is the same as the board orthogonal direction.

The separating projecting portion 11 is a portion that projects in theboard separating direction from the rear end 10A of the lower wideportion 10. The rear end 10A is an end closer to the package 4. Thethickness direction of the separating projecting portion 11 issubstantially perpendicular to the thickness direction of the lower wideportion 10. As shown in FIG. 11, an angle θ formed between the lowerwide portion 10 and the separating projecting portion 11 is 90 degrees.

Referring to FIG. 10 again, the narrow portion 13 is a portion thatextends toward the package 4 from the upper end 11A of the separatingprojecting portion 11. The upper end 11A is an end in the boardseparating direction of the separating projecting portion 11. The upperend 11A is an end farther from the mounting surface 7 of the circuitboard 2. The thickness direction of the narrow portion 13 is the same asthe board orthogonal direction.

In the third exemplary embodiment, the width dimension 10W is greaterthan the width dimension 8W. The width dimension 8W is greater than thewidth dimension 13W. Accordingly, the lower wide portion 10 of each lead6 can cover the entire pitch-direction area of the correspondingelectrode pad 8. Specifically, when the electrode pads 8 and the lowerwide portions 10 are centered in the pitch direction, the lower wideportion 10 of each lead 6 covers the entire pitch-direction area of thecorresponding electrode pad 8. On the other hand, the narrow portion 13of each lead 6 cannot cover the entire pitch-direction area of eachelectrode pad 8. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 11, the solder fillet Fwhich is elongated in the pitch direction and is formed between eachelectrode pad 8 and the rear end surface 10D of the rear end 10A of thelower wide portion 10 of each lead 6 can be checked from above.

The third exemplary embodiment described above has the followingfeatures.

Each lead 6 further includes: the separating protruding portion 11 whichprojects from the rear end 10A of the lower wide portion 10 in adirection away from the mounting surface 7 of the circuit board 2; andthe narrow portion 13 which extends toward the package 4 from the upperend 11A of the separating projecting portion 11 and has the widthdimension 13W which is smaller than the width dimension 8W of eachelectrode pad 8. According to the above structure, the solder fillet F,which is formed between each electrode pad 8 and the rear end surface10D of the lower wide portion 10 of each lead 6, can be checked fromabove.

Fourth Exemplary Embodiment

Next, a fourth exemplary embodiment will be described with reference toFIGS. 12 to 14. Differences between the fourth exemplary embodiment andthe second exemplary embodiment will be mainly described, while a repeatof previous descriptions is omitted.

In the second exemplary embodiment described above, as shown in FIG. 8,each lead 6 includes the lower wide portion 10, the separatingprojecting portion 11, the upper wide portion 12, and the narrow portion13. However, in the fourth exemplary embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 12and 13, each lead 6 includes the lower wide portion 10, a lower narrowportion 20 (narrow portion), a separating projecting portion 21, and anupper narrow portion 22. The lower wide portion 10, the lower narrowportion 20, the separating projecting portion 21, and the upper narrowportion 22 are continuously formed in the stated order in thelongitudinal direction.

The lower wide portion 10 is a portion that is irradiated with the laserbeam L output from the mounting device 1 and is soldered to thecorresponding electrode pad 8. As shown in FIG. 12, the thicknessdirection of the lower wide portion 10 is the same as the boardorthogonal direction.

Similarly to the lower wide portion 10, the lower narrow portion 20 is aportion that is soldered to the corresponding electrode pad 8 andextends toward the package 4 from the rear end 10A of the lower wideportion 10. The rear end 10A is an end closer to the package 4. Thethickness direction of the lower narrow portion 20 is the same as theboard orthogonal direction.

The separating projecting portion 21 is a portion that projects in theboard separating direction from a rear end 20A of the lower narrowportion 20. The rear end 20A is an end closer to the package 4. Thethickness direction of the separating projecting portion 21 issubstantially orthogonal to the thickness direction of the lower narrowportion 20. Note that in the fourth exemplary embodiment, the separatingprojecting portion 21 may be slightly inclined so as to approach thepackage 4 in a direction away from the mounting surface 7 of the circuitboard 2.

The upper narrow portion 22 is a portion that extends toward the package4 from an upper end 21A of the separating projecting portion 21. Theupper end 21A is an end in the board separating direction of theseparating projecting portion 21. The upper end 21A is an end fartherfrom the mounting surface 7 of the circuit board 2. The thicknessdirection of the upper narrow portion 22 is the same as the boardorthogonal direction.

The lower wide portion 10 has the width dimension 10W which is adimension in the pitch direction. Similarly, the lower narrow portion 20has a width dimension 20W which is a dimension in the pitch direction.The separating projecting portion 21 has a width dimension 21W which isa dimension in the pitch direction. The upper narrow portion 22 has awidth dimension 22W which is a dimension in the pitch direction. In thefourth exemplary embodiment, the width dimension 20W, the widthdimension 21W, and the width dimension 22W are equal to each other andare smaller than the width dimension 10W.

Each electrode pad 8 is formed on the mounting surface 7 of the circuitboard 2 in such a manner that the electrode pad 8 is elongated along thelongitudinal direction of the corresponding lead 6. Each electrode pad 8has the width dimension 8W which is a dimension in the pitch direction.The width dimension 8W of each electrode pad 8 is greater than the widthdimension 20W of the lower narrow portion 20.

In the structure described above, when the lower wide portion 10 of eachlead 6 is irradiated with the laser beam L and the lower wide portion 10is heated, the solder 9 provided on each electrode pad 8 is melted andsolidified, so that the lower wide portion 10 and the lower narrowportion 20 of each lead 6 are soldered to the corresponding electrodepad 8 as shown in FIG. 14. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14,the solder fillet F is formed between each electrode pad 8 and the rearend surface 10D of the rear end 10A of the lower wide portion 10 of eachlead 6. Similarly, the solder fillet F which is elongated in thelongitudinal direction is formed between each electrode pad 8 and a sideedge face 20D of the lower narrow portion 20. The solder fillet F formedbetween each electrode pad 8 and the side edge face 20D of the lowernarrow portion 20 can be checked from above.

The fourth exemplary embodiment of the present invention described abovehas the following features.

Each lead 6 further includes the lower narrow portion 20 (narrowportion) having the width dimension 20W smaller than the width dimension8W of each electrode pad 8. The lower narrow portion 20 of each lead 6is also soldered to the corresponding electrode pad 8. According to theabove structure, the solder fillet F formed between each electrode pad 8and the lower narrow portion 20 of each lead 6 can be checked fromabove.

Fifth Exemplary Embodiment

A fifth exemplary embodiment will be described below with reference toFIG. 15. Differences between the fifth exemplary embodiment and thefourth exemplary embodiment will be mainly described, while a repeat ofprevious descriptions is omitted.

The lower wide portion 10 of each lead 6 has a flat plate shape andincludes two side edges 10E. The two side edges 10E are ends of thelower wide portion 10 in the pitch direction. Further, each lead 6includes two side edge inclined portions 23 (inclined portions) thatrespectively project from the two side edges 10E of the lower wideportion 10 and are inclined with a slight curve so as to approach themounting surface 7 of the circuit board 2.

That is, the fifth exemplary embodiment has the following features.

Each lead 6 further includes the two side edge inclined portions 23(inclined portions) that project from the lower wide portion 10 and areinclined so as to approach the circuit board 2. According to the abovestructure, scattering of the solder 9 can be more effectivelysuppressed.

Each lead 6 further includes the two side edge inclined portions 23 thatrespectively project from the two side edges 10E (both side edges) ofthe lower wide portion 10 and are inclined so as to approach the circuitboard 2. According to the above structure, scattering of the solder 9can be more effectively suppressed.

While each lead 6 includes the two side edge inclined portions 23 in theabove example, each lead 6 may include only one side edge inclinedportion 23.

Sixth Exemplary Embodiment

A sixth exemplary embodiment will be described below with reference toFIG. 16. Differences between the sixth exemplary embodiment and thefourth exemplary embodiment will be mainly described, while a repeat ofprevious descriptions is omitted.

Each lead 6 further includes a leading end inclined portion 24 (inclinedportion) that projects from the leading end 10B of the lower wideportion 10 and is inclined so as to approach the circuit board 2.According to the above structure, scattering of the solder 9 can be moreeffectively suppressed.

Seventh Exemplary Embodiment

A seventh exemplary embodiment will be described below with reference toFIG. 17. Differences between the seventh exemplary embodiment and thefirst exemplary embodiment will be mainly described, while a repeat ofprevious descriptions is omitted. As shown in FIG. 17, the lower wideportions 10 of the respective leads 6 are preferably arranged in astaggered manner According to the above structure, the distance betweenthe lower wide portion 10 of one lead 6 and the lower wide portion 10 ofanother lead 6 can be effectively secured.

Eighth Exemplary Embodiment

An eighth exemplary embodiment will be described below with reference toFIG. 18. Differences between the eighth exemplary embodiment and thefirst exemplary embodiment will be mainly described, while a repeat ofprevious descriptions is omitted. As shown in FIG. 18, it is preferablethat the distance between the narrow portions 13 of the leads 6 adjacentto each other in the pitch direction be increased in a direction awayfrom the package 4. According to the above structure, the distancebetween the lower wide portion 10 of one lead 6 and the lower wideportion 10 of another lead 6 can be effectively secured.

The first to eighth exemplary embodiments of the present invention havebeen described above.

In the above exemplary embodiments, the lead bonding structure E isapplied to mounting of the electronic component 3 on the circuit board2. Alternatively, the lead bonding structure E can be applied to, forexample, mounting of a connector on a circuit board. In this case, thelead bonding structure E includes a plurality of leads extending outwardfrom a housing (lead supporter), and a plurality of electrode pads thatare formed on a circuit board (board). The plurality of leads aresoldered to the plurality of electrode pads, respectively. Each leadincludes a wide portion having a width dimension greater than the widthdimension of each electrode pad, and the wide portion of each lead issoldered to the corresponding electrode pad. The connector includes ahousing and a plurality of leads held in the housing.

From the invention thus described, it will be obvious that theembodiments of the invention may be varied in many ways. Such variationsare not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of theinvention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilledin the art are intended for inclusion within the scope of the followingclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A lead bonding structure comprising: a pluralityof leads extending outward from a lead supporter; and a plurality ofelectrode pads formed on a board, the plurality of leads beingrespectively soldered to the plurality of electrode pads, wherein eachof the leads includes a wide portion having a width dimension greaterthan a width dimension of each of the electrode pads, the widthdimension of each of the leads being a dimension in a pitch direction inwhich the plurality of leads are arranged, the width dimension of eachof the electrode pads being a dimension in the pitch direction, the wideportion of each of the leads is soldered to the corresponding electrodepad, and each of the leads further comprises at least one inclinedportion that projects from the wide portion and is inclined so as toapproach the board.
 2. The lead bonding structure according to claim 1,wherein the at least one inclined portion comprises a side edge inclinedportion that projects from a side edge of the wide portion and isinclined so as to approach the board.
 3. The lead bonding structureaccording to claim 1, wherein the at least one inclined portioncomprises two side edge inclined portions that project from both sideedges of the wide portion, respectively, and are inclined so as toapproach the board.
 4. The lead bonding structure according to claim 1,wherein the at least one inclined portion comprises a leading endinclined portion that projects from a leading end of the wide portionand is inclined so as to approach the board.